Create a beautiful yard with Natural Yard Care

You can take care of your landscape and help protect Puget Sound by just saying “NO” to weed & feed products. These combine quick-release fertilizer and weed killers. They are spread all over the lawn, not just where a few weeds are noticed. The best method is to hand-pull weeds, but if that is not possible, “spot spray” just the weeds and work on building a healthy soil.

If you have a lawn, aerate it. Air and water can infiltrate or soak into the soil. It is the most effective way to loosen up compacted or poorly draining soils.

Overseed and top dress the lawn. Once aerated, overseed the grass with a perennial rye/fine fescue grass seed mix for the Pacific Northwest. Then top dress with ¼ inch to ½ inch of fine compost. The compost covers the seed, improves the soil and adds nutrients.

Switch to a slow-release organic fertilizer. Slow release fertilizers release at a rate plants can use them. It’s less likely the nutrients will wash away, leaving no excess chemicals that can be carried by stormwater into streams, lakes and finally Puget Sound, where they contribute to water quality problems in the warm summer.

Use the grass clippings to “feed” your lawn. This is called “grass-cycling”. Each time you mow, leave the clippings on the lawn to provide nutrients to your lawn. Before doing this, make sure your mower blade is very sharp or replaced with a sharp mulching blade to make clean cuts and help prevent disease.